On a bleak Friday night in Llanelli, the Scarlets felt the full force of an unstoppable Stormers squad, tumbling to a disheartening 34-0 defeat. Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel didn't mince words about the thrashing, calling it a “sobering night” that exposed every chink in his team’s armor. For a team that's already stumbled at home once before this season, this second loss really stung.
Describing the Stormers' performance, Peel praised their formidable gameplay saying, “I thought the Stormers were excellent. Their set-piece work was exceptional, as good as I’ve seen with that power. Their maul and scrum put us under a lot of pressure; they went to the air a lot, contradictory to what you normally see from the Stormers, and their physicality around our breakdown was also very good.” It's clear that the South Africans have thrown down the gauntlet, setting a high bar for the league.
“That is the standard we need to chase – they are setting that standard in the league at the moment.”
Peel admitted that his side squandered early opportunities and lacked finesse in crucial moments. “There are areas in our game within our control which we need to be better at. When we had the ball, we forced it at times and looked a bit ragged. We lost a couple of lineouts in their 22 early on, we didn’t get into our game at all, we didn’t have any momentum,” he explained. The matchup was rough, and not just on the scoreboard. Injuries piled up, adding insult to injury with Tristan Davies facing a head injury assessment and Max Douglas suffering a rib injury. This could potentially reshape their strategy for the upcoming tour in South Africa against the Lions and Sharks.
Despite the night's dismal outcome and the looming challenges, Peel is not ready to throw in the towel. “The injury side of things is tough at the minute,” Peel acknowledged, hinting at the harsh realities of rugby where injuries can be as unpredictable as a bouncing ball. Yet, he remains optimistic about regrouping and building resilience. “We need to keep working hard and moving forward. We’ve lost two games, but three months ago we had the same fixtures in South Africa and the tour went pretty well for us. We also beat the Bulls here last season. We have to go there, look to improve as a rugby team and enjoy each other’s company off the field,” he rallied.
As the Scarlets lick their wounds and chart their course forward, the Stormers have certainly left a lasting impression, not just as victors but as the benchmark for what it takes to dominate in the league.
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On a bleak Friday night in Llanelli, the Scarlets felt the full force of an unstoppable Stormers squad, tumbling to a disheartening 34-0 defeat. Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel didn't mince words about the thrashing, calling it a “sobering night” that exposed every chink in his team’s armor. For a team that's already stumbled at home once before this season, this second loss really stung.
Describing the Stormers' performance, Peel praised their formidable gameplay saying, “I thought the Stormers were excellent. Their set-piece work was exceptional, as good as I’ve seen with that power. Their maul and scrum put us under a lot of pressure; they went to the air a lot, contradictory to what you normally see from the Stormers, and their physicality around our breakdown was also very good.” It's clear that the South Africans have thrown down the gauntlet, setting a high bar for the league.
“That is the standard we need to chase – they are setting that standard in the league at the moment.”
Peel admitted that his side squandered early opportunities and lacked finesse in crucial moments. “There are areas in our game within our control which we need to be better at. When we had the ball, we forced it at times and looked a bit ragged. We lost a couple of lineouts in their 22 early on, we didn’t get into our game at all, we didn’t have any momentum,” he explained. The matchup was rough, and not just on the scoreboard. Injuries piled up, adding insult to injury with Tristan Davies facing a head injury assessment and Max Douglas suffering a rib injury. This could potentially reshape their strategy for the upcoming tour in South Africa against the Lions and Sharks.
Despite the night's dismal outcome and the looming challenges, Peel is not ready to throw in the towel. “The injury side of things is tough at the minute,” Peel acknowledged, hinting at the harsh realities of rugby where injuries can be as unpredictable as a bouncing ball. Yet, he remains optimistic about regrouping and building resilience. “We need to keep working hard and moving forward. We’ve lost two games, but three months ago we had the same fixtures in South Africa and the tour went pretty well for us. We also beat the Bulls here last season. We have to go there, look to improve as a rugby team and enjoy each other’s company off the field,” he rallied.
As the Scarlets lick their wounds and chart their course forward, the Stormers have certainly left a lasting impression, not just as victors but as the benchmark for what it takes to dominate in the league.